Hello, everyone. Allow me introduce myself. Most of you know me as a writer for Her Campus (which I am very proud to be). But I’m also a dancer, and a Christian. In fact, I am the president of the Christian Fellowship at MCLA. And yes, this article is going to be a shameless plug. But hopefully not in a bad way.
MCLA Christian Fellowship was started 12 years ago, a while before my time here. The hardest part was finding a club advisor. But once the founders of the club found an advisor and got some members, MCLA Christian Fellowship was born. After some deliberation, it was decided MCLA Christian Fellowship would become a part of Intervarsity (a group of Christian Fellowships from various colleges) and would partner with Intervarsity. The goal of the club was to do charitable work, learn more about the Bible and the Christian faith and spread positivity. That is still the goal of the club today.
Fast forward 12 years and here I am president of Christian Fellowship at MCLA. I’ve got an awesome team behind helping me plan out Bible studies, meetings, events and Sunday services. The team consists of a vice-president, secretary and treasurer and there are a total of about 10 members that come regularly each week to meetings. My team and I are hoping to grow the club through advertising and events.
Advertising and events were something very difficult for MCLA Christian Fellowship when I first arrived. There basically was none. There was one event my entire freshman year and I aimed to change that. I believed that MCLA Christian Fellowship needed to get out there and make a name for itself—not to be prideful, but so that students knew we were here. I have heard many people say they had no idea that there was a Christian Fellowship at MCLA. Some even said that they were Christian themselves and were glad to know we were here and would come to meetings. Next thing you know, we get to talking and now I walk away with a new friend. Putting yourself out there can allow you to connect with people.
Connecting people is also a goal of Christian Fellowship. You do not have to be religious in any sense to join our club. All we ask is that you have a desire to learn. Everyone is welcome to join MCLA Christian Fellowship. The discussion is always better when more people are there and the conversation takes interesting and sometimes funny turns. The primary goal through these discussions is to educate.
In today’s world, many will often assume something about another without even sitting down to talk with them. I believe that by educating people about various groups and identities, perhaps the world could be a better place. It may not change their beliefs, but it can provide a mutual understanding. Maybe this mutual understanding and respect could be the beginning of change.
Our goal in MCLA Christain Fellowship is to educate on the Christian faith and discuss it along with the Bible. We go into topics such as why do Christian believe what they believe, identity in Christ, spirituality and more. There is no desire to convert anyone into our way of believing, we’re just looking to sit down and talk with those who have questions about what we believe. We’re looking to create a mutual understanding and respect.
Every Wednesday night, at 8:30 p.m. in Bowman 222, MCLA Christian Fellowship meets and has an awesome time. The whole group is a bunch of goofballs. Half the time we end up laughing or talking about our day. We love hanging out together so much that most of us just want to keep the conversation going. You can often find us out in the lobby of Bowman Hall around 10:30 p.m, just chilling. This is about an hour after the club meeting ends. Honestly, it is a really great time! Events we’ve held include an Open Mic Night, Easter Egg Hunt, Journaling and Movie/Game nights. Events are usually the best way to get acquainted with any club on your college campus so come by one of ours some time. There is always free food and drinks, good friends and a lot of laughs. What could be better? Good food, good people, good times!
I hope through these events, discussions, Bible studies and a desire to educate that we can reach a mutual understanding. It’s not about forcing beliefs on anyone, no one has believed anything by force. It’s about bridging gaps and connecting with people who maybe have different beliefs than you. It’s okay to have differing beliefs. Everyone is different and there are as many different opinions as there are people in the world. What MCLA Christian Fellowship hopes to do is educate about ours as we learn about others.